Page 19 of Hard as Stone (Stoneheart MC #2)
AXEL
M y phone buzzes for the tenth time today, but it’s just Hawk asking about security arrangements for tonight’s town hall meeting. Not Poppy.
She hasn’t responded to any of my messages since the confrontation at the worksite two days ago. Just one text.
Poppy
I can’t see you until after the meeting. Dad’s watching. I’m sorry.
The silence is killing me. Every instinct screams to go to her, to hell with her father’s threats.
But Stone’s right—we need to play this smart, and exposing Summit for the corrupt bastards they are will do more to protect Poppy in the long run than charging in half-cocked and throwing down with her old man.
Not that the idea hasn’t crossed my mind more times than I can count.
I toss my phone on the clubhouse bar and rake a hand through my hair. My patience is hanging by a thread, and my brothers can tell. Lee eyes me warily from his seat across the room, spinning an empty bottle between his fingers like it might hold the answers we’re all looking for.
“That girl’s got you twisted up worse than Duck’s spelling,” he says, smirking just enough to piss me off.
“Shut it, Lee,” I snap, gripping the edge of the bar so hard my knuckles turn white. “You don’t get it.”
“Don’t I?” He leans back in his chair. “We’ve all faced this challenge at some point, Axel. Torn between what you want and what you’ve sworn to protect. The patch comes with sacrifices.”
“This isn’t about the patch,” I growl, though even as I say it, I know it’s a lie. “This is?—”
“About her,” he finishes for me, his smirk fading into something more serious.
“I get it. Poppy’s different. She’s not just some girl you’re messing around with.
But you can’t let your feelings for her cloud your judgment.
If this thing with Summit goes south, it’ll affect all of us.
The club. The town. Hell, even her family. ”
I glare at him, hating how much sense he’s making. “You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t lie awake every damn night trying to figure out a way to fix this without dragging her into it? Without turning her life inside out?”
“Then you better figure it out fast, brother,” Lee says, pushing to his feet. “Because once that meeting starts tonight, there ain’t no going back.”
My phone buzzes again. This time it’s Stone in the MC’s group chat.
Stone
Get your asses in chapel.
Lee and I immediately get up and head toward the double doors leading outside.
When we get inside the carriage house, the meeting room is chaos—Mack and Cash have spreadsheets all over the table showing Bennett Construction’s contract bids alongside bank records proving kickbacks.
Photos document ‘emergency’ road closures that perfectly align with the notes and email instructions JJ found for us in the trash.
It’s enough to prove Bennett’s been taking bribes to strategically disrupt certain neighborhoods, but I can see from the connecting lines on their investigation board that this goes deeper. Up into city hall, maybe higher.
But right now, all I can think about is Poppy’s face when she learns the truth about her father. It’s one thing to suspect, but it’s another to know. I want to shield her from that pain, the way I wish someone had shielded me from my own father’s failures.
“There you are.” Stone emerges from his office, and not for the first time, I’m struck by how he commands respect without trying.
He took over as president at twenty-five, youngest in the club’s history, and turned us from a struggling chapter into a force.
Did it all while raising his family, before his wife and daughter moved away a few years back.
He’s living proof that sometimes life’s hardest hits make you stronger.
These days, his dark hair might be more silver than black, but the steel in his eyes hasn’t dulled a bit.
He gestures for me to follow him back to his office. “We need to talk about tonight.”
As the door swings shut behind us, I have a feeling I already know what’s coming.
The chaos outside fades into a dull murmur, leaving just the two of us in the small space lit from above by a single flickering fluorescent light.
He settles into his chair, studying me with eyes that have seen too much—the same eyes his son Lee inherited, along with that tactical mind that makes them both dangerous when crossed.
“I need you to tell me you’re ready for this.”
“Does it matter?”
“Yeah.” He leans forward. “Because when shit hits the fan tonight, I need to know your head’s in the game. Not just focused on your girlfriend.”
“She’s not?—”
“Cut the bullshit.” Stone’s voice carries the full weight of his authority. “We all saw what happened on that road. The way you moved when her old man put hands on her. The way she looked at you.”
I drag a hand down my face. “What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to be straight with me. Can you handle this?”
My phone buzzes. This time it’s Poppy.
Poppy
Can you meet me? Just for a minute. There’s something I need to ask you before tonight.
My heart kicks against my ribs as Stone’s voice cuts through the blood pumping in my ears. “That her?”
When I nod, his expression turns serious.
“You’re thinking of making her your old lady, aren’t you?”
I meet his gaze steadily. “Been thinking about it since the first time I saw her.”
“Christ.” He drags a hand down his face. “You love this girl?”
“Yeah.” No hesitation. No doubt.
“Then remember what matters tonight. Your loyalty is to the club first. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be ready to catch her when her whole world falls apart.” He claps my shoulder as he stands. “Because one way or another, after we expose her father, nothing’s gonna be the same for her.”
The truth of that settles heavy in my gut as I type back.
Axel
Where?
Her reply comes instantly.
Poppy
Meet me in the west wing before the meeting starts. I need to see you.
I glance at the time. The meeting begins in thirty minutes, giving us a small window. I know city hall well enough—the west wing houses old conference rooms that rarely get used now that most meetings happen in the main chamber.
“Don’t be late,” Stone calls after me as I head out.
The parking lot is already filling up when I arrive.
I spot the Bennett’s work truck tucked between a couple of Summit’s shiny SUVs and scan the area as I shrug out of my cut, stowing it in my saddlebags.
My fingers fumble with the tie, remembering how Poppy’s hands felt the last time she helped me with it, her touch lingering against my throat. Seems like a lifetime ago now.
Inside, the main lobby is crowded with people filing toward the chamber.
I keep my head down as I pass Bennett and his boys huddled with some Summit suits near the refreshment table, their voices too low for me to catch anything they’re saying as I pass by.
My hands itch to wrap around Bennett’s throat, but I force myself to keep moving.
I find her pacing the corridor, wearing a simple pair of black pants and a pastel yellow blouse that makes her look both beautiful and somehow vulnerable. She spins when she hears my boots on the tile.
“Hey, trouble.”
“Axel.” My name comes out as a cry as she rushes to me.
Then she’s in my arms, pressing herself against me like she’s trying to crawl inside my skin. I hold her tight, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo mixed with summer sweat.
“You OK?” I ask against her hair.
She nods but doesn’t let go. “I just... I needed to see you. Before whatever happens tonight.”
I pull back enough to see her face. There are shadows under her eyes, tension in every line of her body. “What’s going on, Poppy?”
“I don’t know.” Her brow furrows. “Dad’s been acting weird. Weirder than usual. Late-night calls that seem really tense, watching me like he thinks I’m going to run. And my brothers...” She swallows hard. “They keep telling me to trust Dad, that he knows what he’s doing, but something feels wrong.”
My gut churns with guilt.
“And I just...” She stops, lifting her eyes to mine suddenly. “What happens if I choose you?”
The question catches me off guard. “What do you mean?”
“If I choose the MC. Choose you.” Her voice cracks slightly. “I’ll be your old lady, right? You’ll protect me? Even from my own family, if I need it?”
“Baby.” I cup her face in my hands, searching her eyes. “What’s really going on? Are they hurting you?”
She shakes her head, but there’s something in her expression that has alarm bells ringing.
“Not physically. It’s just... the way Dad’s been since that day on the road.
Like he’s watching every move I make, waiting for me to betray him.
” Her hands fist in my shirt. “And my brothers keep saying I need to choose family first, but what if my family isn’t who I thought they were? ”
“Poppy—” I start, but she cuts me off.
“I just need to know if this is forever,” she whispers, her eyes searching mine. “If I choose you, if I walk away from everything I’ve known... will you be there? Really be there?”
My heart clenches at the vulnerability in her voice. Before I can answer, a voice echoes down the corridor.
“Poppy! Where are you? Dad’s looking for you!”
Felix. Getting closer.
I curl my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her close until our foreheads touch.
“Listen to me,” I rasp. “You’re mine. Have been since that first day with the stop sign.
Whatever happens tonight, whatever you choose, that doesn’t change.
I’ll protect you with everything I am, for as long as you’ll let me. ”
“Poppy!” Closer now.
I crush my mouth to hers, pouring everything I feel into the kiss. She melts against me, her fingers digging into my shoulders like she’s trying to anchor herself. When we break apart, we’re both breathing hard and wishing we had more time.
“I have to go,” she whispers, already pulling away.